Phone subscribers lodged more than 2,000 complaints last year over the operation of premium-rate services, while investigations uncovered 1,500 breaches of the sector's code of practice, according to the industry-funded regulator, Regtel.
The 2,111 complaints logged represent a big fall from the record 13,000 complaints recorded the previous year. However, this has been achieved by reclassifying the majority of calls to Regtel as general inquiries rather than complaints.
More than 24,000 people contacted Regtel's call centre in the year to March 2007, wanting to unsubscribe from expensive premium-rate services, according to its latest annual report. Unlike previous years, Regtel classifies these contacts as advice or information giving rather than complaints.
The regulator, Pat Breen, said it would be a mistake to categorise every call to Regtel as a complaint, as many consumers are using the call centre as an advice centre "to better their understanding of how services work".
Most complaints came from consumers who face large phone bills after unwittingly subscribing to a premium-rate service, from which they were unable to unsubscribe.
The sector is still self regulated, in spite of massive growth and high levels of consumer complaint about some operators' behaviour. Last year, Irish people sent about 80 million chargeable premium text messages, costing an average of 73 cent each.
Mr Breen said the number of complaints was unacceptably high. He blamed the problems on a small minority of service providers who were damaging the industry's reputation.
In many cases, consumers denied they had ever subscribed to a particular service, or parents said their children's mobile phone had subscribed to services without their knowledge. Consumers also complained about service providers failing to unsubscribe them when told to do so, incorrect pricing information and a failure to comply with regulations requiring firms to inform subscribers when the cost of a phone service has reached €20.
Other complaints related to misleading promotions, the receipt of unsolicited text messages and the use of multiple tariffs for the same service.
Regtel's plans to "name and shame" rogue operators have been in abeyance because of legal action taken by one operator. After coming under pressure over the number of complaints, the organisation has agreed to review its code of practice and governance structures.
With many mobile phones providing internet access, Mr Breen says the range of uses is beyond many people's expectations. "The actions of some service providers whose practices are undermining public confidence may be inhibiting the expansion of these services," he said.
